I pulled up next to another Seven, a Series IV - the only other Seven on the Elkhart Lake tour. We had a little chat, and were soon being waved on to the road to begin our tour. Each intersection along the way was blocked by police cars and we were waved and cheered along by small groups of people collected along the way. Not knowing the old road course very well at all, I can't say I recognized any of the course until, after 5 minutes or so, we got into Elkhart Lake. As we rolled into the heart of Elkhart Lake, the crowds grew, and I began to recognize the buildings that usually feature in photos of the original event. We were directed to reverse in and angle park along a nicely shaded road where the people of the town were already milling about looking at the cars -- everything from my Lotus Seven to big old Rolls Royces, and everything in between including various Jaguars, AC Cobras, and many others.

I met up with the other Seven driver, Jeff Fisher, who also turned out to be from Michigan. I thought I had recognized his white SIV from Waterford Hills the year before, and he confirmed that he competes in the vintage event there. We followed our noses to where the brats were grilling and ordered up our share. I had heard about the brats at Elkhart Lake but didn't realize that they were served on rolls more akin to hamburger buns than hot dog buns. In fact, I ordered 'double' which netted me two brats sharing a single roll. All I can say is that with some fresh, chopped onions and brown spicy mustard, those brats sure hit the spot. Mm, mm, good! So I sat with Jeff and his mechanic John (not his father!) and chatted while we ate our brats. John had been in France at the end of WWII and was in charge of keeping all the staff cars in good order. This meant that he had a fleet of American Chevys in Europe that he had to keep running - think about that a minute... He explained how the French had begun to race their cars on oval circuits, and how the the US Servicemen came to the decision that they would show the French how it was done. Eventually, John found himself preparing and maintaining a team of stock cars. They would drive from the southwest edge of Paris to the northeast, in a nose to tail sprint, to get the cars to the track. He admitted that the cars didn't always all make it to the event! I hope to run into him again sometime to hear a little more about his exploits there.